SEMBERIA FARMERS ARE INCREASINGLY TURNING TO SUNFLOWER PRODUCTION – HERE’S WHY

Climate change and increasingly frequent extreme droughts are encouraging farmers in Semberia to turn more and more to sunflower production. According to local producers and agricultural experts, sunflower not only tolerates dry growing conditions considerably better than crops such as wheat and maize, but also offers a number of other advantages.

PHOTO: InfoBijeljina

Today, between 3,000 and 4,000 hectares of agricultural land in Semberia are planted with sunflower, making it one of the region’s increasingly important oilseed crops.

Agronomist Stevan Mesarović, in cooperation with the Agricultural Advisory Service of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, has established an experimental one-hectare sunflower field featuring five different hybrids.

The aim is to assess the potential for sunflower production in the Amajlije–Komoluč area, a flat agricultural zone along the Drina River where light soils are predominant. These soils are particularly vulnerable to drought, making the area an important testing ground for crops better adapted to increasingly dry conditions.

AN ALTERNATIVE TO MAIZE AND CEREALS

“This area is dominated by cereals and maize, so we are looking for a crop that could expand crop rotation and provide farmers with greater profitability, while also offering more stable yields during increasingly frequent drought years and amid evident climate change,” Mesarović told InfoBijeljina.

According to him, sunflower offers a number of advantages. One of the most important is the availability of a secure market.

Brčko-based oil producer Bimal imports more than 100,000 tonnes of oilseeds annually, while the current contracted sunflower price is around 0.80 convertible marks per kilogramme, providing farmers with greater certainty before planting.

“This practically closes the production cycle,” Mesarović said.

Farmers growing maize, meanwhile, increasingly need irrigation if they want to maintain satisfactory yields during prolonged dry periods.

Sunflower is considerably more tolerant of low moisture conditions, requires almost twice as little investment as some competing crops and also plays an important role in crop rotation.

LOWER INPUTS AND GOOD YIELD POTENTIAL

Sunflower harvesting generally takes place from mid-August to mid-September.

“In the worst conditions, yields can be between one and 1.5 tonnes per hectare, while average yields exceed 2.5 tonnes, with some fields reaching as much as four tonnes,” Mesarović explained.

With appropriate agricultural practices and professional advice, he believes sunflower can provide reliable yields even under challenging conditions.

The crop is planted at the same 70-centimetre row spacing commonly used for maize. It requires less fertiliser and is generally easier to protect against pests and diseases.

Mesarović also points to differences compared with maize, where farmers can face serious problems such as maize redness disease caused by phytoplasma and transmitted by leafhoppers.

DRONES ARE ENTERING SUNFLOWER PRODUCTION

Modern technology is also increasingly becoming part of sunflower production.

Because of the crop’s considerable height, farmers are beginning to use agricultural drones for preventive treatments against fungal diseases. This allows treatments to be carried out quickly and efficiently during later stages of vegetation, when conventional tractors can no longer safely enter the fields without damaging the crop.

The combination of lower production costs, drought tolerance and modern agricultural technology is making sunflower increasingly attractive to farmers in Semberia.

IRRIGATION REMAINS THE LONG-TERM CHALLENGE

Experts agree that serious agricultural production is increasingly difficult to imagine without irrigation.

Among the solutions being considered are drip irrigation and subsurface irrigation systems, which deliver water directly below the soil surface

Until such systems become more widespread, however, sunflower has a significant advantage in the eyes of local farmers: high drought resistance combined with a secure contracted market price.

For these reasons, agricultural experts expect the area planted with sunflower in Semberia to continue growing in the coming years, particularly as climate change continues to reshape traditional crop production.